


to live where you are

by aeriamamaduck



Series: out of the sea [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cuddling & Snuggling, Discussion of Death, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mermaids, Merman Victor Nikiforov, POV Victor Nikiforov, Prequel, Prince Katsuki Yuuri, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 01:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18458240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: "...I'm sorry," Yuuri said quietly, voice heavy with shame. Victor looked down at him, seeing that Yuuri had his gaze averted as his own eyes filled with tears. "I was soclose, Victor, I swear I was, but..." He shut his eyes and gave a sniffle, and Victor stroked his tears away with his thumbs as he continued shakily, "He sent something. It...It wasn't even a real animal, but...a demon. Like a wolf, but...a monster. It...I wasn't ready, and it just...Victor, it attacked, and..." His hand went down to his stomach, covered by the blanket.





	to live where you are

**Author's Note:**

> **  
> _IT'S MY 100th YURI ON ICE FIC ON THE ARCHIVE!!!! YOOOOOOO!!!!!!_  
>  **
> 
>  
> 
> Just listened to "Sæglópur" again non-stop for this one.

For all his love and fascination for all things human, Victor had neither the energy nor the desire to spend much time in the kingdom's streets.

 

He kept his legs, having noted earlier with dismay how brittle the edges of his fins looked even in the water. The sun was setting, the sight finally able to be withstood by the naked eye without harm. It was certainly beautiful, but to Victor it was just...light and color atop the water, nothing like the golden splendor Victor loved to watch with Yuuri beside him.

 

It had been weeks since Victor had last seen him. Weeks, almost three months. An unbearable eternity.

 

With every day that passed without a sign of Yuuri's return, Victor knew that perhaps his love hadn't succeeded in retrieving his soul from Georgi.

 

Victor had accepted his fate. He'd made his choice, all for the sake of a life on land with Yuuri, short as it would be. He'd ached for the sweet-faced prince he'd saved years ago, hauling him through treacherous waves for an entire night until he got him to shore. He'd been unable to take his eyes off the beautiful man, watching him breathe deeply through parted lips. His heart pounding, he couldn't resist singing to him, pouring every ounce of adoration into his voice.

 

Then Yuuri had opened his eyes, dark and beautiful, and stared right at Victor, who stared right back, hypnotized. 

 

But instinct had always ruled Victor, and he'd leaped back into the water when he heard other humans.

 

Here he was on the beach again, waiting to see if Yuuri had kept his promise to save him in turn. To find Georgi and demand he return Victor's soul.

 

It hurt to watch him leave, but Yuuri had urged him to remain in Hasetsu, not wanting him to risk being away from the sea for so long. 

 

Victor missed him. Even if Mari and the Nishigoris offered companionship, he felt lonelier than he'd ever felt in his life, even in his lonely wanderings from the northern seas, escaping the rigid culture he was born into that prohibited any sort of change, including venturing up to the surface. 

 

He'd felt so trapped, and so he swam as far away as he could, away from his family, from every stifling law that had him feeling directionless. Then he'd seen the ship, a massive, almost frightening shape hovering above him, and he'd swum up to catch sight of a young man on deck.

 

Victor didn't care if Yuuri failed. He wanted him back, he wanted him  _safe_ , even if their time together would eventually be cut short. He just wished there were some hope. 

 

" _VICTOR!"_

 

That was Yuuko's voice. Victor turned and saw her running towards him, kicking up sand in her wake. There was a look of total urgency on her face, and Victor immediately grew concerned. He pushed himself up to his feet and asked, "What's the matter?"

 

She stopped in front of him, catching her breath and, to his surprise, reaching to grab his hand. "You have to come to the castle. It's Yuuri."

 

 _Yuuri_. It was almost as if his soul had really found its way back to him, and he felt a rush of relief and joy that filled his head with such euphoria that he forgot how to breathe. 

 

But then, as Victor looked at the grim look on Yuuko's face, he realized that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. "Yuuko," he said, voice shaking. "Yuuko, is he alive?"

 

She sighed heavily and quickly said, "He...got hurt somewhere in the west. He got here on a...on a carriage, and he had a...a bandage wrapped around his..." Her voice broke and she shook as she let go of Victor's hand, covering her mouth as she sobbed.

 

Victor just stared at her, horror flooding the entirety of his heart as her words sank in. It couldn't be. Yuuri couldn't be dead. He couldn't be dying, not for Victor's sake. "Where is he?" he asked, voice shaking as tears made their way down his cheeks. If Yuuri was dead Victor would eagerly await his own death, allowing Georgi to do whatever he wanted with the soul he'd ripped out of Victor in exchange for his legs.

 

Yuuko swallowed and replied as steadily as she could, "In his room. He's...he's asking for you."

 

Victor let out a trembling breath of relief. Yuuri was alive. He was alive and asking for Victor. Did he know Victor was still alive? 

 

Wiping her tears away, Yuuko composed herself as best she could and took Victor's hand again. "Come on. Hurry, or he'll never get any rest."

 

Victor followed her, relief warring with worry and shame inside his head. 

 

Yuuko and Takeshi had gotten good at sneaking Victor through the castle without need of his magic, but he still used it whenever there were close calls. It was especially useful now when everyone seemed to be in a frenzy, hurrying through the hallways and whispering with shocked expressions about the prince's return, how pale he'd looked, and the ghastly wound...

 

Victor felt sick.

 

"His parents and his sister left his room a little while ago," Yuuko explained, her eyes rimmed with red. "They wanted him to rest, but he said he needed to see you. To make sure you were alright."

 

So he wasn't so hurt that he couldn't speak. Couldn't be the same stubborn man Victor loved.

 

Takeshi was the only guard in the hallway leading to Yuuri's room, and he looked equally worried as Yuuko. He looked relieved when he caught sight of his wife and Victor. "Good, you're here," he whispered. "There's no one in there. I told the healer he's asleep."

 

"Is he in pain?" Victor asked softly, unable to bear the thought. Even now he couldn't stand thinking about what might have happened to Yuuri if he hadn't decided to swim to the surface that night. 

 

"Not anymore," Takeshi replied grimly. "The healer gave him something to dull the pain. That's the worst thing, at least. Apparently this happened weeks ago. Yuuri said some hearth witch near the kingdom of Rutha saved his life, and he healed up a little with her before he was well enough to come back home. It was just a hard journey." He glanced at the door and sighed heavily, adding, "Whatever attacked him, it killed his horse. It almost killed him, but the hearth witch saved him."

 

Yuuri was healing. He was alive and healing and the pain was under control. Without another word to the couple, Victor walked past Takeshi and through the door, shutting it behind him as he focused his sights on the man lying on the bed.

 

Those dark brown eyes were looking at him too, dulled by whatever medicine had lessened his pain, but there was no mistaking the adoration within them. His face looked so worn and exhausted, but it filled with such relief as Yuuri looked at Victor. "You're here," he breathed.

 

With a sob, Victor closed the distance between them and carefully framed Yuuri's face with his hands, his tears spilling out and dripping onto Yuuri's face as he kissed him gently, agony filling the void where his soul used to be. "I thought...I thought you were..."

 

"...I'm sorry," Yuuri said quietly, voice heavy with shame. Victor looked down at him, seeing that Yuuri had his gaze averted as his own eyes filled with tears. "I was so  _close_ , Victor, I swear I was, but..." He shut his eyes and gave a sniffle, and Victor stroked his tears away with his thumbs as he continued shakily, "He sent something. It...It wasn't even a real animal, but...a demon. Like a wolf, but...a monster. It...I wasn't ready, and it just...Victor, it attacked, and..." His hand went down to his stomach, covered by the blanket. 

 

Victor's heart ached at the terror in Yuuri's voice, and kissed his forehead as he tried not to picture what that may have been like for Yuuri. Whatever that demon was, Victor wanted to sink his teeth into its neck. But he needed to be with Yuuri more than he needed to destroy Georgi and his pet. "You're safe now. You're home again." He shook his head and swallowed a sob. "You shouldn't have gone. This is all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid and naive you wouldn't be-"

 

Yuuri shook his head. "Stop. Stop, you..." He took a deep breath, winced, and brought a hand up to cup Victor's cheek. "You can't blame yourself. He tricked you."

 

"I knew what he was!" Victor exclaimed, hating himself. "I would've given anything to be with you. But maybe..." The very thought went against his instincts, breaking his heart even before the words were out of his mouth. He shut his eyes and pulled away from Yuuri, looking out towards the sea beyond the balcony. "Maybe you should forget about me. Marry someone who won't force you to go hunt down a dangerous witch."

 

To his shock, Yuuri sat up with another wince, glaring at him indignantly. He wore no shirt, and he did have bandages wrapped around his middle. To Victor's relief no blood appeared. "You didn't force me to do anything," Yuuri said firmly. "I want you to live. I want...I want to be with you forever." The tears in his eyes finally spilled over, and he looked at Victor so desperately as he reached out for him, squeezing his hand so tightly and begging, "Please don't leave me, Victor..."

 

Victor's already weak resolve crumbled after that, and he coaxed Yuuri back on the bed with a gentle, "Shh...Don't cry. Don't cry, my love, you'll hurt yourself." He kissed Yuuri's wet cheeks, his forehead, his eyes, and his trembling lips, and Yuuri tugged at him until Victor carefully lay down beside him. Victor should have left, he should have gotten as far away as possible to give Yuuri a chance to forget about him and heal, to fall in love with someone else. But damn him, he couldn't leave this beautiful man who begged him to stay even as he lay injured. Giving in, Victor placed a hand on Yuuri's chest and nuzzled the side of his neck where his gills might have been if Yuuri were a merman. "I won't leave you, not unless you send me away," he murmured softly, guilt making his voice tight.

 

"Never," Yuuri replied, gazing at Victor like he was afraid he'd disappear. "I'll try again. I'll never stop trying to find him."

 

"No!" Victor exclaimed, cradling Yuuri's head. "No, I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

 

"I can't just let you die."

 

Stubborn, stubborn man. "Go to sleep, Yuuri," Victor murmured, stroking his hair.

 

Yuuri sighed shakily, closing his eyes and placing a hand on Victor's arm. "Promise me you'll stay."

 

"All night. I promise," Victor answered, kissing Yuuri's temple. "I'm just so glad you're safe." Whatever time he had left, he would dedicate it all to Yuuri. It was better than living caged, wondering what else there was to see and experience and love in the world above. 

 

"...Will you sing for me?" Yuuri asked quietly.

 

Victor laughed softly and continued to stroke Yuuri's hair as he began to sing softly, his lips nearly touching Yuuri's ear.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!!


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